What are vaccines and who makes them?
A vaccine is a type of medicine that protects us against dangerous diseases. Vaccines are made in labs by scientists who study the immune system.
This medicine is usually given to us in the form of injections. But there's no reason to be scared! This tiny prick can save you from ending up at the hospital. Chances are that you’ve already been vaccinated against many diseases!
Who first invented vaccines?
In 1796, Edward Jenner was the first person to make a vaccine. He invented the vaccine for smallpox. Smallpox was a disease that killed a lot of people. The vaccine saved millions of lives! After its success, others came up with vaccines for diseases like chickenpox, polio and now COVID-19.
How will a vaccine protect me from COVID-19?
A vaccine contains small weak germs. These are injected into our body, so that the body can practice fighting these germs, without really getting sick! Our body remembers how to fight the germs if real germs ever try to enter our body. Isn’t this a cool way to teach our body how to keep itself safe from deadly diseases?
COVID-19 is a very infectious disease. This makes it even more important to get ourselves vaccinated against it. Once we’re vaccinated, we’re mostly safe from getting this disease. Not just that, since we can’t get this disease, we can’t give it to people around us either!
The more people get vaccinated, the better chance we have of erasing this disease from our planet (like smallpox!).
Why are adults vaccinated before children?
The bodies of babies and children are growing continuously. This makes it easier for them to catch diseases. To safely vaccinate children, the vaccine must be tried on healthy adults first. Once the vaccine works on them, the vaccine can be used on children.
How old do I have to be to be vaccinated?
The Government recently announced that children above 12 years of age (or those born in 2010 or earlier) can get vaccinated. So if you were born in 2010 or earlier, talk to your parents or guardians about getting the vaccine.
Before you go, remember that no vaccine gives us 100% protection against COVID-19 yet! Wear a mask, wash your hands, and stay safe. Better safe than sorry!
